Chapter 26: Supreme Innate Spiritual Root: The Wind and Thunder Immortal Apricot-The Human Among the Great Shamans(A remarkable figure of the present age)

As soon as Xingtian awakened the power of his primordial spirit, he immediately used it to refine the supreme treasure in his hand, the Chaos Golden Halberd. After the ritual, an unmistakable look of astonishment surfaced on his face.

Stepping forward with reverence, Xingtian gazed respectfully at the Twelve Ancestor Witches before him and said, "There is something you may not know. Previously, I only possessed spiritual power and lacked the force of the primordial spirit, so I could only use the power of my own blood to refine the Chaos Golden Halberd."

"Thus, while I grasped some of its mysteries, I never truly earned the recognition of this treasure; it only granted me its offensive abilities, without revealing its deeper secrets."

"But now, things are different," Xingtian continued, joy lighting his features. "With the power of the primordial spirit, the treasure has acknowledged me, bestowing upon me a ritualistic art for refining treasures—the Spirit-Linking Refinement Technique."

"Through this method, I've come to realize that not only does the Chaos Golden Halberd possess overwhelming power for attack, it also harbors potential for further advancement."

"Oh?" Di Cang and the Twelve Ancestor Witches all showed signs of keen interest.

Xingtian explained, "The abilities of the Chaos Golden Halberd are roughly divided into three aspects: First, its offensive force, which can channel divine chaos light to destroy all things; second, the innate Yin-Yang energy, which can manifest domains and imprison space; third, the power of the stars, which can connect with the primordial energies of the stars to aid in cultivation."

"These three forces retain only the embryonic forms of their respective laws, combined together to make it an exceptional innate spiritual treasure. If it could merge with three similar chaotic divine objects, its capabilities in all three aspects could further transcend the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao and evolve into an innate ultimate treasure—the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe."

"At that point, while it might not reach the level of the true Heaven-Opening Axe, nor necessarily rival the Three Great Treasures of Creation, it would still be a rare innate ultimate treasure in the primordial world!"

"Unbelievable!" All Twelve Ancestor Witches were dumbfounded.

Even Houtu, the Ancestor Witch, exclaimed, "Who would have thought that our Palace of Pangu possessed such a treasure?"

Di Cang, delighted, remarked, "Even as an innate ultimate treasure, it possesses the power to stabilize the fate of an entire clan. Moreover, the Chaos Golden Halberd is a part of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, making it a quasi-ultimate treasure. We should spare no effort to help it advance!"

"The powers of chaos, yin-yang, and stars?" The Twelve Ancestor Witches pondered.

Dijiang said, "The power of chaos is easy to access. All Twelve Ancestor Witches possess the realm of Primordial Demon God, allowing us to freely enter and exit the chaotic world and cultivate using its chaotic energies. Bringing the treasure into chaos and seeking out chaotic materials for refinement is no trouble at all."

"The power of yin-yang is somewhat more challenging."

Not long ago, while traveling through the primordial world, the Twelve Ancestor Witches had come upon a divine river known as Weak Water. Its mysteries were boundless, embodying the force of the Lunar aspect; using the waters of Weak Water to refine the Chaos Golden Halberd would pose no problem.

"However," Dijiang admitted, "pure yang treasures are more difficult, and the power of the stars is found only in the Nine Heavens."

"Perhaps," said Zhu Jiuyin, the Ancestor Witch of Candlelight, "we could use the last Three-Colored Cloud of Merit to further enhance the Pure Yang Vermilion Fruit, raising it to the level of a supreme innate spiritual root?"

"Elevate the Pure Yang Vermilion Fruit to a supreme innate spiritual root?" Di Cang considered. "It may not be necessary for it to be fully advanced. Even the branches of the Pure Yang Vermilion Fruit, though not yet elevated, contain formidable pure yang force. Together with the Thunder Divine Wood and the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot, which also lean towards pure yang, the combined power of these three may suffice to help the Chaos Golden Halberd gather pure yang energy."

"We only possess one Three-Colored Cloud of Merit but have two superior innate spiritual roots. If we are to use it, we must proceed with utmost caution."

"At the very least, we must ascertain which of the two spiritual roots has greater potential for growth!"

...

Thus, everyone proceeded together to the Chaos Secret Realm of the Witch Tribe.

First, they assessed the growth potential of the two spiritual roots.

Though most felt the Pure Yang Vermilion Fruit was more immediately useful to the Witch Tribe, in terms of potential for advancement to a supreme innate spiritual root, the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot clearly surpassed it.

With no other choice, they took out a Cloud of Merit and merged it with the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot before them.

Immediately, they observed the internal transformation: endless innate Dao patterns underwent nirvana and reformation; the aura of power gradually metamorphosed, and even the two nascent fruits being formed were influenced by the power of nirvana, transforming from their core outward.

Not only did this transformation complete in an exceptionally short time, but the only two fruits instantly detached from the tree.

"What is happening?" The Twelve Ancestor Witches caught the two immortal apricots in their hands.

Jumang, the Ancestor Witch of Wood, examined them and sighed, "The fruits of the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot are extraordinary. Normally, an innate spiritual root takes no more than ten thousand years to nurture its fruit, and the fruit's power is not especially strong. But the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot is different—these two fruits alone have taken an entire cosmic era to mature, comparable to the time required for superior or even supreme innate spiritual roots to nurture top-tier treasures."

Now, with the superior spiritual root undergoing nirvana, its fruits, too, were reborn under the influence of nirvana, and after experiencing an extreme transformation, they matured and fell.

Jumang explained, "Because this was not normal nurturing, but rather a transformation during the process, these two fruits possess power midway between superior innate divine objects and supreme innate divine objects; they are not the strongest fruits that the transformed Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot can produce!"

"However," Jumang added, "if a master skilled in wind and thunder were to supplement them with their own essence, even these imperfect fruits could perhaps display the power of a supreme innate divine object."

"These two fruits," Jumang continued, "should rightly belong to Tian Wu, Ancestor Witch of Wind, and Qiangliang, Ancestor Witch of Thunder!"

"What?" Di Cang was secretly astonished.

The fruits of the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot were split, given to two Ancestor Witches?

Even Di Cang, with his vast knowledge, was momentarily at a loss—he had expected only one Ancestor Witch to claim both fruits.

However, hearing Jumang explain that these two fruits were merely defective and that even better ones might be nurtured in the future, Di Cang no longer minded.

Moreover, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were discerning; their judgment was precise. The fruits of the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot were indeed best suited to two Ancestor Witches, not both to one.

Thus, the Twelve Ancestor Witches put away the Three-Colored Cloud of Merit gained from the advancement of the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot.

They handed the two fruits respectively to Tian Wu and Qiangliang.